Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald
Dan DeLuz Sr., a well-known professional wood turner, died Sunday at Hilo Medical Center. He was 77.
“He did the more traditional styles and shapes of Hawaiian bowls and calabashes,” son Dan DeLuz Jr., associate pastor of Glad Tidings Church in Hilo, said Friday.
DeLuz, who was born in Hilo, started his wood shop in Hilo after his roofing business on Oahu failed, said daughter Renee Godoy, senior pastor at Glad Tidings.
“He took a lot of pride in his work; he didn’t do it just for money. He always wanted to be the best. He wasn’t into mass production. He really, really loved his work,” she said.
DeLuz started his shop in the late 1960s on Kinoole Street in the shop that now houses Ellsworth’s Custom Cycles. He later moved shop to Kilauea Avenue and finally to Mountain View.
“He had a lot more space in Mountain View, but he became famous on Kilauea Avenue,” Godoy said, adding that his work has been featured at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
The Hawaii Wood Guild’s website calls DeLuz “a treasured member of our community.”
“While he doesn’t actively show with the Guild, he has supported many of us through his shop, Dan DeLuz Woods, and through his generous sharing of knowledge,” the site states.
Added DeLuz Jr.: “He taught a whole lot of people how to wood turn. If anything, he kept that art alive.”
Services for DeLuz, who lived in Kurtistown, are Thursday at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Visitation is 5-9 p.m, with a celebration of life memorial service at 7 p.m.
Casual attire is requested and flowers are welcome.
In addition to his children, DeLuz is survived by his wife, Mary Lou DeLuz; daughter-in-law, Earlette DeLuz; stepchildren, Ronald (Momi) Williams, William Brown, James Grimes and Leilani (Robert) Marriott; brothers, Antone (Barbara) DeLuz, Roger (Donna) DeLuz and Milton DeLuz; sisters, Helen Figuera, Margaret (Clarence) Mattos, Mildred (Mike) Kelly, Bernadette (William) Ferreira and Geraldine (George) Tavares; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.